We wake early (5.40am); take a taxi to the Athens Port. We see a bit more of the urban areas - some very high density housing and shops. Lots of abandoned or half-completed buildings. We get on our ferry and get some coffee from a bar and from the open back deck we watch Athens retreat. The ferry is pleasant once we sort out our luggage, get coffee, and get a bit more sleep in the airline style seats. There are all kinds of people aboard, tourists from everywhere, locals on holiday, serious business travellers etc.

We spend a lot of time on the outside decks watching the harsh dry islands go by (you are almost never out of site of land).

We dock and let off/on some passengers at two ports before Santorini - these tiny concrete ports are old-school and very industrial; trucks pull large trailers on and off the ferry in a flurry of activity. At one port we watch a barge being loaded with sand - like a child’s toy set.

We get off at Santarini with our luggage onto a pier filled with people trying to sell transport or hire cars - very busy,crazy and overwhelming. So we allow ourselves to be transported to the town of Fira. Our driver is funny and dry and tells us some interesting things as we slowly climb up the winding road to the top of the Caldera.